• Claims that SPC Tender Board had awarded contract to blacklisted foreign co. 
• MOH seeks report from SPC regarding the questionable purchase

The Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) is set to lodge complaints with law enforcement authorities tomorrow (14), seeking an investigation into allegations that the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) Tender Board awarded a Rs. 37 million antiseptic mouthwash tender to a blacklisted company.

It is learnt that the MCPA plans to lodge complaints with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Department.

MCPA President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa alleged last week that the SPC Tender Board had awarded a tender to purchase 270,000 bottles of ‘Chlorhexidine’, an antiseptic mouthwash used for the treatment of inflammatory dental conditions caused by microorganisms, to a Bangladeshi company that had been blacklisted. He also charged that the relevant company had not been registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (12), he said that he would also initiate the necessary legal proceedings against the alleged irregularity in addition to the revelation he made. “This company is already a defaulted company. Granting another tender to a defaulted company constitutes a bribe. We will first lodge a complaint with the CIABOC, and then with the CID. It will happen on Tuesday (14).” He also said that he had come to know that the Minister of Health, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa had informed the SPC to submit a report on the procurement in question.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Health Ministry’s Secretary, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that related queries should be directed to the SPC, but the attempts to contact the latter proved futile.

According to Dr. Sanjeewa, dealings with the company in question had been suspended as a default supplier due to a “non-settlement of claim,” with legal action underway to recover an unsettled amount of nearly Rs. 130 million. However, he claimed that the SPC Tender Committee, led by its Managing Director and the Deputy Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, awarded the tender despite the company lacking NMRA registration or WHO-standard certification at the time. He urged Dr. Jayatissa to take prompt action against the responsible officers, alleging that the relevant transaction had been made by officers appointed under the current Government in December 2024 under tender bearing number DHSP/WW/15/2025.